A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains or may contain material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the photocopy reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure in exactly the form it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
The present invention relates in general to a gaming device, and more particularly to a gaming device having a cash out menu screen, wherein a player can selectively retrieve some or all of the amount of money held by the gaming device in one or more forms of payment.
It is well known to provide a gaming device, most typically a slot machine or card gaming machine, that accepts money from a player, holds the money while the player plays the gaming device and enables the player to retrieve the player""s money at any time. The games preferably do not require the player to input or insert a wagerable amount of money in the gaming device each time the player wishes to play the game. When the player wins while playing known gaming devices, the gaming devices do not require the player to take the winnings and reinvest them into the gaming device if the player desires to continue play. Known gaming devices therefore provide a credit meter or display, which is a mechanism that maintains and displays a pool of money in the gaming device. The pool can store an amount sufficient to play many games of the gaming device. The pool can also accumulate and store the player""s winnings. When the player wishes to stop playing, known gaming devices preferably provide a mechanism by which the player can retrieve the money that remains in the pool.
Historically, known retrieval mechanisms include a cash out mechanism, which pays out the player""s money in a preferred denomination or form of money. Dollar slot machines (requiring at least a $1 wager) typically issue tokens redeemable for $1 when the player cashes out. Other slot machines can issue actual money such as nickels, dimes, quarters and half dollars. Known slot machines preferably maintain a payout tray limit, such that an operator attendant is called when the player wins or wishes to cash out an amount above the limit. The limit prohibits the player from having to handle a cumbersome or unsafe amount of coins and enables the machine to store a minimal number of coins at any one time.
Other modern slot machines contain a ticketing system, such that the machine issues a ticket to the player that includes the amount of the player""s money printed on the ticket. The player can input money using coins, tokens, paper money or credit or debit cards. In one preferred embodiment, when the machine issues the ticket, the player can input the ticket into other gaming machines equipped for redeeming the tickets, or redeem the ticket for money from an operator attendant. The ticketing systems advantageously enable gaming to take place without the player having to handle tokens or coins.
Known retrieval mechanisms generally present an all or nothing proposition to the player. A player needing money from the machine has to retrieve the total amount that has been inputted into the machine. If the player needs less than all the amount from the machine and still desires to play the machine, the player must retrieve the total amount from the machine and re-input the amount with which the player wishes to continue play. A player needing less than all the amount of money from a known ticketing machine, who still desires to play the machine, must retrieve a ticket from the machine containing the total amount that has been inputted into the machine. When a gaming device allows a coin or a ticket payout, a need exists to allow the player to choose between a coin pay, a ticket pay or both.
A need exists for a more flexible cash out or money retrieval system in known gaming machines and more specifically slot machines having modern ticketing systems. Specifically, a need exists in modern ticketing machines to enable the player to retrieve an amount of money in a form immediately usable by the player, e.g., coin money, tickets, or tokens. These amounts enable the player to make monetary transactions such as playing a neighboring machine and tipping an attendant without having to remove all the money from the machine they are playing. A need also, therefore, exists in gaming machines to enable the player to retrieve less than all the money that has been inputted into or won at the machine. In particular, a need exists to enable a player to quickly retrieve a partial definable amount for the player to use without completely cashing out and/or leaving the gaming device.
The present invention is operator configurable such that the gaming device displays a cash out screen or interface preferably every time the player presses the cash out button of the gaming device. After pressing the cash out button, the game presents a screen of the present invention, which provides for more flexible cash outs than in known gaming systems. The present invention enables the player to select one or more methods of payment. The player can select an amount of coins to issue from a coin payout tray of the game. The player can also select an amount of money to issue on a ticket that the gaming device prints and provides to the player, whereby the player can redeem the ticket for cash, or input the ticket into another gaming machine. It should be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to providing a ticket to the player, but also can be adapted wherein the player can select an amount of money to issue on a credit card, debit card, smart card, note, payout system or any other suitable amount recording device. For purposes of this application, amount recording device includes pay out systems such as hand pay systems and automatic systems which pay out paper money such as dollar bills. A hand pay may be employed for instance when there is not enough coins in the gaming device to pay the player in coins. The gaming machine may notify the player in such case. The amount recording device may further include a memory device which stores an amount of money in a player""s account. For purposes of this application, ticket and amount recording device are used interchangeably herein; although the amount recording device includes but is not limited to a ticket and other payout systems.
The present invention enables the player to select different amounts of money to cash out. Depending upon the amount of money a player has in the gaming device, the player can choose: (i) to have some or all of the amount issue as coins from the coin payout tray; (ii) to have some or all of the amount issue as cash represented by a ticket or stored in an amount recording device; or (iii) to have some issue as coins and some issue as cash represented by a ticket or stored in an amount recording device. Preferably, the present invention issues the coins into the coin payout tray first and then the ticket.
The present invention also preferably includes a quick coin feature, which enables the player to obtain an operator configurable amount of coins (e.g., $.50) in the coin payout tray. The present invention also contemplates a quick coin feature, which enables the player to obtain a player definable amount of coins in the coin payout tray. The present invention also contemplates a quick ticket feature, which enables the player to obtain an operator configurable or player definable ticket payout.
The present invention preferably includes a more coins feature that enables the player to sequentially add coin amounts, in the coin payout tray denomination, to the amount of coins that the game issues. The present invention issues coins in the operator configurable coin payout tray denomination. The amount of coins that the game issues at one time cannot exceed a coin payout tray limit. The present invention also preferably includes a max coins feature that enables the player to easily receive the maximum allowable amount of coins from the game. The maximum allowable amount of coins is limited by: (i) the coin payout tray limit; (ii) the coin payout denomination; and (iii) the current cash out amount.
The present invention preferably includes a more ticket feature that enables the player to sequentially add ticket amounts, in the smallest machine allowable denomination, to the amount of cash that the game issues on the ticket. The smallest machine allowable denomination is the smallest amount of money that a machine can pay by coin, which cannot be smaller than the coin payout tray denomination. The present invention also preferably includes an all ticket feature that enables the player to receive the entire amount of money held in the gaming device on a ticket.
The present invention preferably totals the amount currently selected to be issued as coins and the amount currently selected to be issued on a ticket and displays the totaled amount to the player. The cash out screen of the present invention preferably includes a second executable cash out feature, which is locationally separate from the electromechanical cash out button or selector of the gaming device, and which sends a command to the game to execute the current cash out distribution. The player can also cancel a cash out (except one that is in progress) via a return to game feature.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a gaming device with a cash out menu, wherein a player can selectively and flexibly retrieve some or all of the amount of money held by the gaming device in one or more forms of payment.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed disclosure, taken in conjunction with the accompanying sheets of drawings, wherein like numerals refer to like parts, elements, components, steps and processes.